A commonly used type of small incandescent lamp comprises a glass envelope and a glass base which is integral with the envelope. The filament wires extend through, and are embedded in, the envelope and have terminal end portions disposed against side surfaces of the base of the bulb. Receptacle sockets for this type of bulb have a pair of terminals in side-by-side relationship, each terminal having spaced-apart spring arms which receive the base of the bulb and electrically contact the terminal end portions of the wires. The lead wires extending from the receptacle socket are generally soldered to the terminals. Bulbs of this type are widely used in the manufacture of amusement devices, such as pinball machines, which have a large number of bulbs mounted in a panel board. Amusement devices of this type are frequently manufactured by mounting the lamp sockets, or bulb sockets, on the panel and then lacing the wires along the desired circuit paths from the power source to the terminals in the socket assemblies and soldering the wires to the terminals.
The present invention is directed to the achievement of an improved socket assembly which will eliminate the need for soldering wires to the terminals in the socket and which will greatly simplify the manufacture of devices, such as pinball machines, which require a large number of small incandescent lamps on a panel. A socket assembly, in accordance with the invention, comprises an insulating housing having a bulb-receiving face, a rear wire-receiving face, and a bulb-receiving cavity extending into the bulb-receiving face. Two side-by-side passageways extend into the rear face and communicate with the bulb-receiving cavity. Each passageway has a contact terminal thereon, each terminal having a wire connecting portion at the rearward end thereof and a receptacle portion which is disposed in the bulb-receiving cavity. The wire-connecting portion of each terminal has a wire-receiving slot means therein which has enlarged entrance and a reduced width inner end portion. The housing has integral flexible retaining fingers extending from the rear face and across the entrance portions of the slots in the terminals. In use, the housings are mounted on the panel board at the desired locations and the wires required for the sockets are laced around the panel board and positioned in the entrance portions of the terminal slots by flexing the retaining fingers away from their associated terminals and locating the wires in the slots. When the retaining fingers return to their normal portions, they will maintain the wires in their proper positions relative to the terminals so that the wiring of the panel can be inspected prior to movement of the wires into the slots in the terminals. Insertion of the wire into the wire-contacting portions of the slots can be accomplished by means of a suitable hand tool .